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For the fifth consecutive year, VTDigger is excited to work with Vermont Care Partners to promote the much-needed services of its sixteen respective member agencies which, includes NCSS. They also understand how important it is for our elected officials to know how to support the needs of Vermonters.
This thirteen-week series is a collaboration produced by members of the Vermont Care Partners statewide network of sixteen non-profit, community-based agencies providing mental health, substance use and intellectual and developmental disability support.
Below is the twelfth installment of the series from Upper Valley Services highlighting how they are helping Vermonters with developmental disabilities access alternative housing opportunities.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Breaking boundaries: New initiative paves the way for inclusive housing solutions
Sponsored by Vermont Care Partners
Laura, a young woman with developmental disabilities, lived in the same apartment in southern Vermont for 20 years.
Breaking boundaries: New initiative paves the way for inclusive housing solutions
Upper Valley Services Helps Vermonters with Developmental Disabilities Access Alternative Housing Opportunities
Laura, a young woman with developmental disabilities, lived in the same apartment in southern Vermont for 20 years. But when the homeowner who provided the space for Laura and another tenant was no longer able to, Laura and her housemate quickly found themselves in need of new living arrangements. While this wouldn’t be an ideal situation for anyone — especially during a housing crisis like Vermont is currently facing — for Laura, the situation is far more pressing as accessible housing options are limited or the barriers too steep.
As part of Vermont’s Act 186, legislation was created to implement pilot planning grants that would address housing and residential service needs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This funding has now been granted to three organizations across Vermont to help idealize innovative models for accessible, affordable housing. Upper Valley Services is a designated agency serving individuals with developmental disabilities and is one of the organizations, in concert with Downstreet Housing and Community Development, that received grant funding – $167,000 – toward this initiative.
Laura and her family were unable to find a new option, due to the limited availability, so she wound up moving back home with her aging parents, Ruth and Norm Buchanan. Read more by clicking Sponsor Spotlight link above.
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